COACH GREG BROWN: Now in his 24th season as head coach of the Lee High boys basketball program, Greg Brown started coaching as a ministry

STORY BY BOB LABBE | PHOTOS BY JOSHUA BERRY | LIVING 50 PLUS

“I took on being a basketball coach as a ministry.” Now in his 24th season as head coach of the Lee High boys basketball program, Greg Brown continues his “ministry” in ways well beyond his imagination of what he thought his life would become.

Born in Huntsville Hospital and growing up in the current fast-growing Madison County town of Harvest, Brown’s family moved to North Huntsville when he was just 12 years of age. Brown, now 57, knows the change in home locations changed his life forever as he grew up mostly under the guidance of his single mom who worked as a nurse and later at Chrysler and had a younger brother eight years his junior. He looked to his friends, many of which were athletes, to learn the workings of growing up without a family regularly in his life. A basketball goal setup at his home just off Pulaski Pike near Oakwood Avenue would be more or less a center point of his youth as the locale became a hotbed of pickup games with those in his neighborhood.

Brown would attend and play basketball at Ed White Jr. High and later at Lee High where he played for the legendary Jerry Dugan, who won over 600 games in a long-standing, championship career. While playing at Lee, Brown was an All-City, All-Area and All-State player and graduated in 1986. From prep school he went on to play college basketball before graduating college from Athens State University with a B.S. Degree in both Liberal Studies and Physical Education. All along the way Brown knew coaching would be his future endeavor and his dream of coaching came true, first at his alma mater Ed White followed by returning to the halls and gymnasium of Lee High where he would be an assistant coach alongside his mentor Dugan who soon retired after a career most only dream of.

“I took over the head coach position in 2002 and our first year we qualified for the State Tournament,” said Brown, as he remembered back to what was the start of his “ministry.”

His Lee High teams have won three state championships (2010, 2021 and 2022), reached the Final Four seven times and the state’s Elite 8 a mere 15 times. He has over 500 victories in his career, but Brown said victories are just a small part of what his coaching career is all about.

“I’m most proud of the fact I’ve had 91 players to date earn college scholarships, two of which were my own two sons, Kobe and Kaleb, both of whom were named Class 5A Alabama Player of the Year in their respective years at Lee,” said Brown. “Kobe is in his third year of playing in the NBA with the L.A. Clippers while Kaleb is in his senior season of college basketball at Robert Morris University after playing three years at Missouri.”

Brown and his wife, Sheryll, an electrical engineer who retired from owning Brown Technologies, have been married 28 years. With Kobe, 25, and Kaleb, 22, still a major part of their lives, the Browns seem to be always traveling to see one or both of their sons in action whenever the opportunities arise. “Matter of fact, Sheryl and I take care of Kobe’s business-financial areas of his life. We’re like a manager for him as we check behind clients, lawyers and others he has dealings with to help arrange his financial investments,” said Brown. “He’s living a basketball dream, but his real dream growing up was to own a Forbes 500 company. The NBA was my dream for him. Kobe was indeed a great student growing up and in college, as he was named in the top 10 in the United States among athletes academically.”

“I still coach my sons. They listen. I always wanted to be a great example for my kids. I promised God I would take care of them,” added Brown, who attends Indian Creek Primitive Baptist Church, located not far from where he grew up in Harvest and where at one time played the church organ.

In his playing days, Brown carried the nickname “G Money” for his expert and successful shooting skills while on the hardwood. As a coach, that nickname could easily be associated with his winning ways both on the scoreboard and in leading young student-athletes to success away from the basketball courts much like he has. “I look back over all of my players and the ones who have earned scholarships and I feel that’s the real measure of my success. I know how hard it was for me as I want to make sure my players have something to do after high school and their days of playing basketball. All of that is success for me.”

There’s never a game go by that Brown doesn’t think of or use something he learned from his former coach Dugan. They had a very close relationship until Dugan’s passing in 2020. Brown said of his mentor, “He played the role of dad while I was in high school and I developed my coaching style from him, and Iearned to mimic his calm demeanor while coaching. I still coach with him in mind.”

Most of Brown’s teams have similar styles, depending on roster skills and talents, of being fast-paced creating a lot of havoc for the opposing teams. He’s also excellent about playing as many players as possible every outing and keeping the pressure on high in an attempt to make opposing teams as uncomfortable as possible.

As for Brown’s self-assessment, he said “I’m someone who is passionate about what I do. I’m not outspoken as I don’t rant and rave during a game or practice. Matter of fact, I’ve only had two technical fouls called on me in my career. I remember what Coach Dugan taught me to remain cool and calm when speaking with my players. That seems to work for me as I have close relationships with each of them.”

Brown takes pride in knowing he has had the opportunity and gracefully assisted many of his players numbering as many as 40 with family issues where the families needed food, clothing and toiletries. “There were a few times we had to get the electricity cut back on for their homes,” said Brown. “That’s where I got my blessings and feel blessed by God. I don’t do much. God does most of the work I do.”

Brown has indicated this season may be his last. He’s thought long about what he wants to do once he hangs up his coach’s whistle and walks away from the court, or what he calls his ministry. He knows every life has its high points as well as its low points, including what Brown said was his most difficult task as a coach. “I spoke at the funeral of one of my former players, Eric Robertson. He was one of favorites and played at UT-Chattanooga after he left high school after four years with me. He died of a heart attack.”

Brown’s younger brother was killed in a motorcycle accident almost 30 years ago. It was a moment he won’t forget, but knows his own spiritual faith has guided him through all the facets of his life he has faced without reservation or hesitation. “I thought I’d be a minister. I have prayed to God to let me use basketball as my ministry,” added Brown.